Upload
others
View
2
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES
Annual Report 2018
www.wiltshirehistoricchurchestrust.org.uk
Westbury War Memorial
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 20181
The Friends Of Wiltshire Churches
PresidentMrs Sarah Rose Troughton, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire
Vice-PresidentsLieutenant-Colonel James ArkellMadeleine, Countess of BessboroughThe Bishop of BristolMr John BushThe Bishop of CliftonMr Robert FloydMr Henry HoareThe Countess of InchcapeThe Rt Rev William IndSir Maurice JohnstonLord King of BridgwaterThe Marquis of LansdowneLord MargadaleLord Marland of OdstockLady NuttingMrs Claire Perry MPThe Earl of RadnorMajor-General Sir Sebastian RobertsSir Henry Rumbold, BtThe Bishop of SalisburyThe Dean of SalisburyViscount SidmouthThe Duchess of SomersetLord Talbot of Malahide
ChairmanMr Martin Knight
Deputy ChairmanMrs Diana Matthews-Duncan
SecretaryMr David Evans
TreasurerMr Peter SmithTreasurer of the Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust (WHCT)
CommitteeMrs Diana Beattie The Hon Edward BuchanHis Honour Judge Mark Everall QC (Chairman of WHCT)
Mr Jeremy GroomMr Michael HodgesMr Luke HughesBrigadier Nigel Jackson (Secretary of
the WHCT)
The Ven Alan JeansMrs Caroline KeevilMrs Clare MilesMr John OsborneMr Mark RobinsonMr Christopher RogersMr Neil SkeltonMr Geoffrey Till
New Members We are pleased to welcome the following new members who joined during 2018:
Mr & Mrs Martyn Allez (Stoford)
Mr & Mrs Martin Butt (East Grafton)
Mr Bryan Castle (Marlborough)
Maj General & Mrs Patrick Cordingley (West Dean)
Mr Simon Courtauld (Etchilhampton)
Ms Eileen Dew (Westbury)
Mr & Mrs David Edwards (Wilton)
Mr Patrick Eyre (Fyield)The Ven Dr Sue Groom (Devizes)
Mr & Mrs David Gyle-Thompson (Little
Somerford)
Mr Jeremy Hallett (Lockeridge)
Lady Julia Hiscox (Oare)
Mrs Hilary Hugh-Jones (Semley)
Prof & Mrs James Malone-Lee (Tisbury)
Dr & Mrs Alan Maryon-Davis (Tisbury)
The Rev Gay Maynard (Corsley)
Ms Harriet Tupper (Chippenham)
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 2018 2
Future Events
Saturday 9 February 2019Winter Lecture Series “Horace Walpole and the ‘Gothick’ Revival” by Christopher Rogers, at Market Lavington Community Hall at 3pm.
Saturday 30 March 2019Annual General Meeting, followed by the Annual Guest Lecture on ”Revising Pevsner in Wiltshire with special reference to its churches” to be given by Julian
Orbach, at Salisbury Museum at 3pm.
Saturday 13 April 2019 Proposed tour of churches in the Chalke Valley to be led by Brian Woodruffe.
Saturday 18 May 2019Proposed tour of churches around Malmesbury to be led by Edward Buchan.
Sunday 9 June 2019Summer party and choral evensong.
Saturday 6 July 2019Proposed tour of churches around Edington and Lavington to be led by John
Osborne.
Saturday 14 September 2019Annual Ride & Stride.
Saturday 21 September 2019The monuments of Salisbury Cathedral to be led by Michael Hodges.
Further details of all these events will be announced in due course.
Website News
Over the past year we have continued to update the website,
www.wiltshirehistoricchurchestrust.org.uk, with new pictures and other content
that instantly shares the contribution of the Trust and Friends. You can easily
browse the website menus and pages to ind out about the Trust, its Grants to Wiltshire churches, the annual Ride & Stride event and all about the Friends
and their activities. The Church Trails map remains a irm favourite for visitors to Wiltshire and this now has a link to the Wiltshire churches pages in the National
Churches Trust Explore Churches website. We hope that this broad coverage of
our churches and linkage to the NCT will stimulate wider interest in our
beautiful churches and their history.
We always appreciate feedback on the website and constructive comments
on how it could be improved. Please ‘Contact Us’ through the website.
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 20183
Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust Grants
The following grants were awarded by the Trustees in June 2018:
TOTAL: £39,250.00 plus £10,000 NCT Partnership Grant
The following grants were awarded by the Trustees in November 2018
Project
Roof
Roof, masonry
Roof and guttering
Vestry stone roof
Tower and Balcony
Tower
Tower
Wall stonework
South Cleresory stonework
Porch ceiling
Door restoration
Dias and loor
Memorial repairs
Heating
Water supply and kitchenette
Toilet, kitchen and water
Church
St Mary, Great Bedwyn
St Peter and St Paul,Heytesbury
Project
Roof and guttering
Chancel roof and associated fabric
£ Grant
£2000
£2000
£ Grant
£5000
£6000 + NCT£10000
£1000
£1500
£2000
£1000
£750
£2000
£2000
£500
£500
£1500
£500
£1000
£2000
£2000
Church
St Andrew, Nunton
St Michael, Tidcombe
St Mary, West Dean
St Peter, Kington Langley
Malmesbury URC
St Michael and All Angels, Figheldean
St Mary, Shrewton
Holy Trinity, Trowbridge
St Thomas and St Edmund Salisbury
St Mary, Luckington
St Mary, Broughton Gifford
All Saints, Burbage
St Mary, Upton Scudamore
St Peter, Penhill
St James, Bratton
St Peter and St Paul, Great Somerford
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 2018 4
TOTAL: £34,900.00 2018 TOTAL: £74,150.00 plus £10,000
Church
St Francis, Salisbury
St Mary, Orcheston
St Mary, Potterne
All Saints, Marden
St Augustine, Even Swindon
St Cosmos and St Damian, Sherrington
St John, Pewsey
St Nicholas, Wilsford
St Paul, Salisbury
Holy Rood, Rodbourne
St John the Baptist, West Ashton
All Saints, Maiden Bradley
St George, Ogbourne St George
St Mary, Codford St Mary
St James, Dauntsey
St John, Chirton
St Margaret, Chilmark
St James, Cherhill
St Michael and All Angels, Lyneham
St Thomas a Becket, Box
All Saints, Garsdon
St Laurence, Downton
Project
Roof
Roof replacement
Roof, walls, rainwater goods
Roof and wall
Roof and masonry
Roof and masonry
Roof, guttering and masonry
Tower window grids and heating
Belltower and guttering
Tower roof and loor
Guttering and sofit/facia
Wall masonry and loor
Walls
Stone and mortar
Historic stained glass windows
Historic window
Historic stained glass windows
Heating
Heating
Kitchenette and Toilet
Kitchenette, Toilet and hospitality area
Roof alarm
£ Grant
£1800
£2000
£2000
£2000
£1000
£1000
£1000
£1000
£2000
£600
£1000
£2000
£1000
£1000
£1000
£1000
£500
£1500
£500
£1000
£1000
£3000
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 20185
News Round by Martin Knight
It is with great pleasure that I report
on another very satisfactory year for
the Friends. As most of our activities
take place outside, the ine summer added a great deal of gloss to our
enjoyment. We raised much needed
funds from our tours, lectures and the
summer party. These, together with
the magniicent total achieved by Ride and Stride, and matching grants
from the National Churches Trust,
enabled us to distribute £74,000 to
help our beautiful churches. It was
particularly pleasing to receive a
partnership grant from the NCT that
enabled us to give a total of £16,000
to St Michael’s Tidcombe which was
some compensation for subsequently
having had their lead roof stolen.
Our church tours continue to form the
backbone of our activities and, with
only one exception, were
conducted on the most beautiful
days. Indeed, we spent much of the
July tour searching for cover from the
blazing sun. These are the most
enjoyable events where the
participants can not only appreciate
the history and architecture of the
churches but can also enjoy a
convivial time with other Friends.
The tours covered churches around
Collingbourne, Imber and Salisbury
Plain, Bradford-on-Avon and south
Gloucestershire. Once again, I would
especially like to thank our tour
leaders who invest so much of their
time in providing us with such
professional and interesting
guiding. Full reports of these tours can
be found in the main body of this
report.
The last Sunday in June saw us bathed
in brilliant sunshine and 100 Friends
(apologies to those who did not make
the cut) were able to enjoy choral
evensong at Lydiard Tregoze, one
of the county’s most exceptional
churches, which has been involved in
a huge restoration project. We were
very grateful to the Rev Captain Clive
Deverell for conducting the service
and to the Dodecantus choir for their
beautiful singing. We then enjoyed
supper in the splendour of Lydiard
Park House, a rare opportunity, for
which we are very grateful to
Swindon Council. Once again, Diana
Matthews-Duncan masterminded
the evening and to whom I am very
grateful for making it the outstanding
success it was.
The AGM was conducted on 17
March at Market Lavington Hall. In
recognition of the centenary of the
ending of WW1, Dr Timothy Connor
gave a thoroughly researched and
fascinating lecture on the monuments
of the war for which we were most
indebted. On the subject of
monuments, Michael Hodges has
done a huge amount of work
researching the church monuments
of the county. He delivered a lecture
on the subject in February and has
since produced a booklet, proits from which will go to the Wiltshire Historic
Churches Trust. We are once again
very grateful for all the work he does
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 2018 6
in support of the Trust. Reports of both
the above lectures will be found in the
body of this report.
The national Ride & Stride event was
again administered for the county
by Charles Graham and raised the
magniicent sum of £60,000. We still look for a successor to take over from
Charles and we would be pleased to
hear from anyone who is interested.
In the meantime, our grateful thanks
go to Charles and all the riders and
striders who performed so
magniicently.
Financially, the Trust continues to be in
a healthy position, bolstered by a very
signiicant donation from the Hartham
Church Charitable Trust and a
generous legacy from Mrs
McKechnie-Jarvis, a former Friend.
On the people front, it is with great
pleasure that we welcome the new
Dean of Salisbury, the Very Rev
Nicholas Papadopulos, to join our
team of vice-presidents, in place of
the Right Rev June Osborne, the new
Bishop of Llandaff; and Geoffrey Till
who has joined the committee of the
Friends.
Finally, my grateful thanks go to
Kt Keevil Whitehead and Caroline
Keevil for masterminding the design
and production of this Report whilst
also juggling with a new addition to
the family.
St Marys Church, Lydiard Tregoze from the south of the park
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 20187
Report on the Annual General Meeting
and Annual Lecture held in Market Lavington
Community Hall
Saturday, 17th March, 2018
by David Evans
Annual General MeetingThe Meeting, attended by about 55
Friends and their guests, was irst addressed by Sarah Troughton, Lord
Lieutenant of Wiltshire and President
of the Friends. She expressed her
thanks both to the Trustees of the
WHCT and to the Friends, especially
their ofice-holders, for the valuable work that they do.
The Chairman, Martin Knight, then
welcomed the members of the
audience, especially the invited
members of the British Legion and
the speaker, Dr Timothy Connor. In his
review of the year 2017, he made
special mention of: the irst winter lecture, on stained glass in Wiltshire,
given by Brian Woodruffe; the
successful Summer Event at Trafalgar
House, organised by Diana Matthews-
Duncan, hosted by Michael Wade
and preceded by evensong, at which
Bishop Edward of Ramsbury preached
a notable sermon; the four very
successful church tours, for which we
owe a debt of gratitude to the
tour-leaders; the splendidly
produced Annual Report, for which
we are indebted to Caroline Keevil
and her daughter; and Nigel
Jackson’s expertise with IT, without
which Tim Connor’s lecture would
have been spoilt.
Martin urged Friends attending church
tours to take photos and send them to
him in order to improve the
illustrations in the Annual Report. He
also asked for every effort to be put
into promoting Ride & Stride, this year
due to take place on September 8th,
since the proceeds are such a major
part of WHCT’s income.
The Treasurer, Peter Smith, then gave
his report. He noted that the Friends
had raised slightly more money than
in 2016. Two very generous donations
were partly responsible; the proceeds
of the winter lecture and the
continuing stream of income from
Brian Woodruffe’s book also
contributed to this happy result. Peter
also mentioned the generous
donation by Marion Gordon-Finlayson
of the proceeds from the play The
Third Policeman, put on in her garden.
Money raised by the Friends, together
with about £53,000 brought in by Ride
& Stride, enabled the WHCT to pay
out 28 grants totalling £79,000, a great
help to hard-pressed parishes trying to
keep their churches in good order. In
future they will be assisted also by the
income generated by the generous
donation from the Hartham Church
Charitable Trust of £100,000.
Martin announced the date of the
next AGM as March 30th 2019. He
then introduced the afternoon’s
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 2018 8
was considered by many critics too
brutal a reference to the reality of
war.
Mourners after the First World War did
not feel that a few national
monuments were adequate
compensation to the dead for their
sacriice.
Dr Connor showed a selection of
memorials from around the country,
including some from Wiltshire. Some
of them recall the dead of a village,
some the masters and alumni of a
speciic school, as at Warminster, some the workers for a speciic company, like the memorial on
Paddington Station to the dead
workers of the GWR, many, no doubt,
from Swindon. The Paddington
memorial takes the form of an
impressive statue and at Semley there
is a rare equestrian monument. Much
more commonly, memorials are
speaker, Dr Connor, who had agreed
to speak about war memorials in this
centenary year after the First World
War.
Dr Connor’s Lecture on War Memorials
Dr Connor began by setting the issue
of war memorials in their wider
context. He pointed out that all
civilisations have shown care for their
dead, but that in the circumstances
of the battleield it has often been dificult to show such care. Apparently, the names of those killed
at the Battle of Marathon were
preserved for 700 years, but for most
of history ordinary soldiers killed in
battle could expect only a mass
grave. By the mid-19th century some
people were beginning to wonder
how dead soldiers could be
compensated for the inevitably
squalid circumstances of their death
in the midst of battle.
The unprecedented death toll of the
First World War raised this issue in a
particularly acute form. One result
was the great public monuments in
London. Lutyens’ Cenotaph in
Whitehall set an important precedent
in its starkness and simplicity. It was
intended to form the climax of a
processional route and to be the
focus of ceremony, as it still is every
Armistice Day. Charles Jaggers’ Royal
Artillery Memorial, by contrast, is not
abstract, but it is stark and
geometrical, with the howitzer point-
ing up at an acute angle from the
plinth. The dead soldier, sculpted in
bronze, on one side of the monument
A regimental memorial in Salisbury Cathedral
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 20189
Oddfellows Lodge memorial, Devizes
crowned by a cross, with its obvious
connotations of sacriice, but, incongruously, within the cross there is
often a sword. The ubiquitous feature
of the memorials of the First World War
is the presence of names. Dr Connor
pointed out that in no previous war
would it have been possible to draw
up lists of the names of those who
perished in battle. It was possible in
1914-8 because of the 10 million index
cards of the War Ofice, products of the huge 19th century expansion of
the bureaucracies of the European
states. It was therefore possible for
those at home to keep in touch with
brothers and sons at the front while
they lived and to learn of their fate
when they died.
On the whole, British memorials were
austere and simple. The simple sword
within a cross at Calne is typical. Some
memorials show the persistence of
imagery derived from knightly ideals in
vogue in the 19th century.
Dr Connor showed a few depictions
of St Michael and St George in
commemorative stained glass
windows. It would be interesting, Dr
Connor suggested, to compare the
British memorials with those of other
countries. He had time only to suggest
a comparison with those of France.
French memorials tend to use more
igure sculpture; they are less wary of showing suffering, perhaps because
in a Catholic country the depiction of
Christ as the Man of Sorrows is more
common; and perhaps French
memorials were more inluenced by recent artistic developments.
Finally, Dr Connor looked to the future.
Will future memorials focus more on
the role of women or the suffering of
animals? And what exactly will people
in the future want war memorials to
do for them? One of the many virtues
of the talk was that it did not claim to
answer every question, but stimulated
us to further thought.
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 2018 10
Winter Lecture SeriesChurch Monuments in Wiltshire from St. Osmund to Sir Nikolaus Pevsner
Given by Michael Hodges
Saturday 10th February 2018
by Diana Beattie, OBE, FSA
In the deep Midwinter, Michael
Hodges treated the Friends to a very
well researched illustrated lecture on
church monuments, delivered in the
Hinton Hall by St. John the Baptist,
Tisbury.
He started with a slide of Anglo-Saxon
carved stones at Ramsbury, the town
where the diocese covering Wiltshire
and Berkshire was based from 909
until 1075, when it was moved to Old
Sarum.
To quote from Michael’s lecture “The
greatest span of monumental
activity in England was the long
period between 1300 and 1800. It was
typiied by the erection of large monuments comprising efigies and other igures often in elaborate architectural settings. A vast amount
of money, materials and artistic effort
was expended during this period on
the production of funerary
monuments for the dead. At almost
every period monuments had a close
afinity with contemporary styles in architecture, which they relected in their designs. The efigies in particular are very valuable in the
study of armour and dress.
Monuments in general and efigies in particular are of course of the
greatest importance in the history of
English sculpture.” And Michael points
out that the majority of sculptors
historically could not have survived
without the continuing demand for
monuments with efigies and other igures.
Michael’s next slides took us to
Salisbury Cathedral where the
cofin lid of St. Osmund (died 1099) was brought to the new Cathedral in
1226.
Michael showed us early tombs of
almost a dozen bishops and gave
us a fascinating resumé of their lives.
These tombs could be the subject of
a most interesting tour for the Friends
next year!
Michael then cantered through some
of the knights who lie cross legged in
churches throughout the county, and
once again he gave us some
fascinating research on their lives.
Lydiard Tregoze
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 201811
Michael introduced the Renaissance
with the monument at Lacock of Sir
William Sharington. He describes this
as one of the inest pieces of mid 16th Century decoration in England.
A notable monumental brass survives
in Tisbury to Laurence Hyde (1590).
Michael’s research discovered that
Laurence Hyde was the grandfather
of Edward Hyde, First Earl of
Clarendon, whose daughter married
to James II was the mother of Queen
Mary of William and Mary fame, and
Queen Anne.
Very few monuments commemorate
women, but Lady Frances Devereux,
Duchess of Somerset, daughter of the
Earl of Essex, (died 1674) is an
exception. She is shown in Great
Bedwyn Church as a bust with two
jolly dancing putti, wearing a bodice
with elaborate clasps and pearls in
her hair.
Another interesting monument of 1786
in white marble is in Clyffe Pypard
Church to the carpenter Thomas
Spackman by John Deval Junior.
Michael told us “He stands on a
marble orange base in an eloquent
pose with a long lowing mantle. Below to his left and right are two
children reading and writing. The
monument displays plenty of tools of
the carpenter’s trade. The inscription
tells us that he left £1,000 in 3%
annuities to pay for a master to teach
reading, writing and arithmetic to the
poor of the parish.”
There is a monument by John Flaxman
(1755-1826) the leading English
neo-classical sculptor in Ashton Thomas Spackman monument, St Peter's church, Clyffe Pypard
Keynes. In the 19th Century we have
an example of the work of Alfred
Gilbert, best known for his statue of
Eros in Piccadilly Circus, in Longbridge
Deverill Church. Representing the 20th
Century, there is an example of the
work of both Eric Gill and of Rex
Whistler in Wilsford Church in the
Woodford Valley. Finally, Michael
showed us the handsome tomb
of Sir Anthony Eden in Alvediston
churchyard, and the monument to
Sir Nikolaus Pevsner who lies in Clyffe
Pypard churchyard with his wife Lola.
This was a very dense and
interesting lecture, illustrated with 94
slides and with a great deal of
background history. I certainly think
the subject deserves a further visit
perhaps to Salisbury Cathedral and
Wilton Parish Church where the Friends
can study monuments in greater
depth.
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 2018 12
Tour of churches - Ludgershall, Collingbourne
Kingston, East Grafton and TidcombeLed by Brian Woodruffe
Saturday 14th April 2018
by Geoffrey Till
stairs that once led to a rood loft
spanning the chancel. Brian
introduced us to what was to be a
theme of the day - the
demanding costs of building
maintenance for sometimes very small
congregations. Local people’s
devotion to their churches varied from
the very simple, the provision of a
splendid chest in 1693 its date proudly
displayed, to the very grand - in this
case the spectacular
Renaissance canopied tomb of Sir
Richard and Lady Brydges. Boldly
repainted in acrylic, its colours struck
some as on the garish side and this
kind of ‘restoration’ by the Pilgrim Trust
in the 1970s probably would not be
allowed these days.
Pevsner described it ‘as one of the
most important of its date in England.’
The tomb struck a strong contrast with
the equally grandiose monument to
the Pile family at our second church -
On a grey, misty, depressing morning
with no hint of the glories to come,
about 20 enthusiasts gathered at
Ludgershall St James on 14th April for
a local tour led by Brian Woodruffe.
The tower dominates the view from
outside; built originally in the 14th
Century, it collapsed and had to be
rebuilt in the 1660s. Part of the reason
for this was the extensive use of lint and rather crumbly mortar. Then and
later, Brian pointed out to us that
building uses of several types of
limestones and sometimes even
sarsen, which is generally much less
susceptible to this kind of wear. The
effect at Ludgershall, he said, might
strike some as ‘a bit of a mess’ but to
others as charmingly domestic. Inside,
there were some Norman heads
to be seen, a rather sinister ‘Green
man’ with oak leaves peeling from his
mouth, and the remains of the original Lead work on chest
Churchwarden’s initials high up on the tower
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 201813
Thomas Benjamin Ferrey who plainly
set out to create a Victorian version of
the Romanesque church architecture
of so many of the churches in France
that inspired him. And so inside and
out were treated to a spectacular
display of rounded ‘Norman’ arches,
solid circular columns, and on the
western end of the outside, even
some intricate interlaced arcading.
The sheer quality of the workmanship
stood out. A contemporary print inside
showed how boldly the new church
would have dominated the scene.
Inside the ‘feel’ was distinctly French
with Victorian characteristics such as
the apse richly decorated by Thomas
Willement and a southern doorway so
tall it looked more Saxon than
Norman.
St Mary, Collingbourne Kingston,
which if anything was on the under-
restored side with modern metal
supports holding up the top of the
tomb, and some dust and cobwebs in
its more inaccessible corners. What Sir
Gabriel Pile and his lady (1629)
gazing sternly out over the
congregation would have made of it
is hard to say.
Their church was larger than
Ludgershall, more solid, had a
welcoming lady on a pillar
opposite the South door and an array
of impressive 12th Century arcading
and was not suffering too much from
being ‘extremely refreshed’ in the 19th
Century. Outside the sun had
appeared, lighting up the primroses
on the springy grass of the
churchyard.
Heartened by this, we made our way
in the usual convoy of cars (all gamely
following the one in front) through
meandering lanes to the Swan at
Wilton for a most welcome sit down,
lunch and chat. Next on the agenda
was something completely different,
St Nicholas, East Grafton. This was built
in 1844 for a new parish hacked out
from the nearby over-sized Great
Bedwyn parish. The architect was
Sir Gabriel Pile and his lady at Collingbourne Kingston
East Grafton as soon as it was built 1844
The Apse at East Grafton
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 2018 14
The lych-gate to the churchyard had
an arch that reminded us that the
poor Reverend George Augustus
Montgomery from Bemerton was killed
when inspecting the church as it was
being built by the fall of some of the
churches most unusual stone vaulting.
Fortunately the church seems quite
secure now.
One couldn’t say that quite so
conidently of the last church on our tour, St Michael’s Tidcombe, a quite
charming little church tucked away
in some of the remotest parts of the
county and approached that
afternoon in warm sunshine across a
carpet of primroses, celandine and
violets. Another product of lint and rubble, with some counter-productive
Victorian cementing that simply
spread the damp around. The local
congregation have a job on their
hands but the welcoming smell of the
special polish being used
suggested that all would be well. Early
14th Century Decorated in the main, it
had a chancel longer than the nave,
the remains of an Easter sepulchre, a
Jacobean pulpit, a massive plain
Norman font, and a couple of piscinas
under characteristic sharply pointed,
or ogee, decorated arches. Being
such an expert on church glass, Brian
enthralled us with an account of the
‘4th igure of the Cruciixion’, the enigmatic Mary Magdalene and
drew our attention to how differently
she was portrayed at Tidcombe with
the rather bland version in the south
aisle contrasting with O’Connor’s
strong representation in the East
window - even with a window bar
across her face!
None of these four churches have
made it into the standard works of
John Betjeman or Simon Jenkins and
even the old Methuen Red Guide is
pretty dismissive - East Grafton being
written off in my 1917 version just as
‘modern.’ The fact that our county is
evidently capable of producing such
delightful churches of the second
division shows how lucky we are and
how much we need to preserve
them. We were lucky too in our guide
and thanked Brian for all his hard work
in giving us such a splendid day.
The church’s setting was a delight,
with the downs behind and the Manor
House just through the as yet lealess trees. It was to there that we made
our way to tea and cake, courtesy of
Katherine Jellicoe and also to meet
the jolly Rev Jo Reid, cheerful despite
having ive other churches to look after as well.
St Michael’s TidcombeStained glass at St Michael’s Tidcombe
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 201815
Tour of churches around Salisbury Plainled by Neil Skelton
Saturday 2nd June 2018
by Mark Robinson
Wiltshire Churches have been blessed
this summer by some wonderful
weather but when I arrived in
Tilshead at the church of St. Thomas à
Becket I knew at once that we were
in for a special day. As I walked up the
path to the main door of the church
some were already busy inspecting
the church yard and its grave stones
and on entering it was wonderful to
see so many of our “friends” present.
Built around 1100, one cannot help
being impressed by the precision of
this particular church. I was curious as
to why this church was named after
the former Archbishop of Canterbury,
who met such a tragic end. None of
my researches during or since our visit
have found the answer. On the wall
is a list of the Vicars of Tilshead from
1291 to present, one of whom served
for nearly 60 years starting with William
IV in 1836 and covering nearly the
entire reign of Queen Victoria.
I hoped his sermons were not too
repetitive or the congregation would
have known them by heart!
The church had an extensive
programme of repairs in 2011 which
rather explains its pristine condition,
but then this beautiful Grade 1
building deserves to be properly
cared for, which it clearly is. There was
much to observe in this lint and stone church, including the early English
central tower, the chancel and the
Norman font.
Hard as it was to tear ourselves away,
we had to move on to St. Peter’s,
Great Cheverell and once again
we encountered a Grade 1 building
which was listed in 1962. Here there
was much to observe and clearly
work has been done over the ages to
ensure the building is in the ine condition in which we found it. The
church is faced with limestone ashlar,
although the oldest part from around
the 11th century is of limestone and
lint. The nave and west tower are circa 14th century and in the 15th the
tower was raised and the south porch
added. The Victorians, as one might
expect, had their part to play and
restoration was carried out in 1868
including re-rooing of the chancel, rebuilding of the chancel arch and
the additionof the north vestry.
The Angel at Tilshead
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 2018 16
The octagonal font is from the 13th
century and the clock tower carries
six bells, the earliest being from the
15th century and three from the 18th.
This is just a sample of the treats that
were in store but again time was not
on our side and The Duke in Bratton
beckoned.
At lunch there was much to talk about
and this turned out to be a convivial
occasion although service was not
delayed and we ran to schedule. We
knew there were more treats in store
in the afternoon and were not
disappointed. We moved on to St.
James, Bratton. This is accessed by
walking up a sloping path, which
many of us did although some drove
up and found they could park close
to the church.
The church is on the hill behind
Bratton Castle, where Alfred
reportedly defeated the Danes. But
then this was a day when history was
all around the beautiful churches we
came to see. St. James is II* listed of
14th century origins, although like so
many others there may have been an
earlier church on the site. The
Victorians again played their part
and the chancel was rebuilt in the
mid-eighteen hundreds by George
Gilbert Scott, with further restoration
by T.H. Wyatt in 1860. It is a compact
structure and the tower is rectangular,
which is fairly unusual. There is a
window by Alexander Gibbs of
London circa 1860. Although the font
is 15th century, the bowl is Norman but
was re-cut in the 18th. The tower
vaulting is worthy of inspection. There
is also a Baptist chapel. It was built
in 1734, and Pevsner describes it as
externally a gem. It is also Grade II*
listed.
Once again time marched on and we
repaired to vehicles to penetrate MoD
boundaries on Salisbury Plain where
we had special permission to visit St.
Giles’, Imber the village with no post
St Peter's, Great Cheverell
St James, Bratton
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 201817
code. To achieve this we had to travel
in convoy and waited at a military
barrier for all cars to catch up. A lady
was walking with her dogs and asked
me if the church was open. I
explained we were going there with
special permission. She then told me
that the lora and fauna were special and only there because the public
were excluded from the area except
on special occasions. I was able to
observe this haven as our
convoy moved slowly towards St.
Giles' church, which is redundant but
in the care of the Churches
Conservation Trust. It is open to the
public on certain agreed days, holds
an annual Service of Remembrance
and a Christmas carol service. Its con-
dition is helped by contributions which
its visitors make.
and worthy of appreciation, as are
the remains of medieval wall
paintings of the Seven Deadly Sins
and 17th century bell ringing changes
painted on the north wall of the tower.
The churchyard, which slopes down to
towards the village has 17th and 18th
tomb chests worthy of inspection.
As we returned to our cars in late
afternoon sunshine, the chatter
among participants was a tribute to a
well organised day which had been
well supported and enjoyed. and for
which our very grateful thanks go to
Neil Skelton.
Grafiti at Imber
Door arch at Imber
Imber is known as the ghost village as
all its buildings are uninhabited and
used for military training purposes.
Standing resplendent among
abandonment, this 13th Century
church and 14th century tower with
ive pinnacles is a delight to visit. Entering is a bit of a shock as the
church is without its ittings and the tables inside make you feel as if you
should be signing up for something or
other. But the architecture is ine
Bell changes painted on the tower wall at Imber
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 2018 18
Tour of churches around Bradford-on-Avonled by John Osborne
Saturday 7th July 2018
by Martin Knight
On another beautiful summer’s day, lovers of the BBC Poldark series were truly rewarded by starting off this tour by visiting the ‘home of Caroline and her doctor husband Dwight’, or in real terms, Great Chalield Manor. Here we were kindly entertained with coffee and a brief introduction to the Manor by Robert Floyd whose home it is. It is a stunning location and the beautiful pink roses were still blooming in spite of their ight against the hot dry summer. We learnt how Thomas Tropnell had built the Manor as it now stands and admired the ine great hall and ireplace in front of which many ilm scenes had been made.
All Saints Church is a gem, also built
by Thomas Tropnell and Robert described how it was probably once used as a community centre. It has been lovingly cared for and maintained over the years and a new stained glass window relecting the local landscape by Andrew Taylor and dedicated to members of Robert’s family was installed some 20 years ago. We also admired the pretty medieval style painted organ case which is next on the list for restoration.
We then set off for Bradford-on-Avon which was thriving with visitors and its market. It was a real treat to be able to visit Holy Trinity which has been closed until recently for major refurbishment.
Holy Trinity church, Bradford-on-Avon
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 201819
We were greeted by the Rector, Joanna Abecassis, and quickly realised that we were competing with the Trowbridge Symphony Orchestra for whom the church had been prepared for their concert that evening.
A large amount of money has been spent on the re-ordering project which has been regarded as a huge success, giving a much greater feeling of space and light to the church, typiied by the new pale oak seating (comfortable too). The stone loor has also been restored. We understand that the project was largely inanced by the sale of a portrait of Christ originally thought to be by Luis de Morales and subsequently found to be by Quentin Matsys. A copy of the picture hangs in the north aisle.
John pointed out many of the ine features of the church which included the medieval 14th C decorated style East window, two large well decorated tombs, and the medieval painting of the Virgin Mary being
taught how to write which was uncovered by the Victorians. There were many other monuments including one to Thomas Horton (also at Westwood) and a brass showing an Elizabethan woman’s costume (unfortunately covered by furniture due to the impending concert). We also noted the unusual banding round the western aisle pillars.
We emerged from the cool interior out into the heat again and gathered a few paces to the north of Holy Trinity beside the Saxon church of St Laurence.
This is an extraordinary survival. William of Malmesbury, the medievel chronicler, mentions such a church dated in 715. Is this it? Probably not because the style is late Saxon (of which there are very few left in this country). It was ‘lost’ for 8 centuries and rediscoverd by Rector Jones of Holy Trinity in 1850s. It had been usedas a school. It has a lack of
John Osborne at All Saints church, Great Chalield
St Laurence church, Bradford-on-Avon
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 2018 20
proportion in its style; very tallcompared to its width. It has blank arcading at the top and two missing porches. We enjoyed its simplicity inside and its small chancel arch. The altar is made up of a collection of fragments from Christ Church.
We went our various ways to ind lunch and much needed liquid refreshment in Bradford. A few miles south of Bradford we found Wingield and the church of St Mary, lying in a beautiful secluded position.
It is somewhat of a scattered parish with no real centre but still boasts a pub and a school.John pointed that on our way here we might have noticed the entrance to a Manor House which was the home of Shrapnel (of munitions fame) who also had a monument in Holy Trinity.
The church at Wingield is mainly Perpendicular style and the rest is 18th C. It has interior furnishings of box pews and a 3 decker pulpit. The most interesting features are the medieval poppyhead pews illustrating the beginning of the Gothic revival in the late 18th C. Outside we admired some good table top tombs. Overall it is a very rare 18th C rebuild of the nave and furniture which demonstrated the style and money in the parish.
We retraced our steps to visit Westwood and the church of St Mary the Virgin. This is situated beautifully next to the 15th C Manor which is in very good order and well worth visiting when it is open.The church is mainly 15th C but there are indications of something earlier. The priest’s door with decorations/
scratch marks was a very obvious feature where there had clearly been a re-use of stone, probably during the 19th C restoration. Thomas Horton, whose monument we had noted at Holy Trinity, lived in the Manor in 1400/1500s. He built the tower at the top of which there was good panelling to be seen. An interesting feature was the cupola at the top of the tower staircase which we found, inside, was mirrored in the top of the font. We also noted the extraordinary carved creatures trying to climb down from the top of tower.
Inside we found high quality Perpendicular style with medieval glass, painting and a superb ceiling in the lady chapel. John then asked us to gather round the east window which had beautiful medieval stained glass and a igure of Christ depicting great suffering and the instruments of the Passion. Some of the red glass appears to be from a later period.
After such a wonderful tour on such a scorching day, we adjourned to the church hall where we were treated to much needed tea and delicious cake. Our very grateful thanks to John for organising such a wonderful day and imparting so much of his vast knowledge to us.
St Mary the Virgin, Westwood
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 201821
In recent years occasional sorties over
the Wiltshire border have featured in
the Friends’ programme of
summer excursions. For the early
autumn Christopher Rogers planned
an intriguing itinerary in the South
Cotswolds of Gloucestershire. We
were irst directed to the village of Duntisbourne Rous, north-west of
Cirencester. A path beyond an almost
concealed tilted lychgate led us to
the Church of St. Michael, sited above
a hidden valley. Christopher stressed
the remarkable unaltered state of this
simple small building. Evidence of its
Saxon origins could be detected in
the exterior stonework. The Normans
added a chancel with a crypt below
to support it on the steep decline of
the site. Preserved in the interior is a
medieval timber roof and a Norman
chancel arch. The chancel’s wall
paintings and a font date from the
13th century and show simple foliate
motifs. Furnishings of subsequent
centuries survive as does a quaint
Victorian miniature organ. Essential
restoration work occurred in the 1930s.
Tour of churches around the Stroud Area, South
GloucestershireLed by Christopher Rogers
Saturday 8th September 2018
by Clare Miles
Misericord, Duntisbourne Rous
We then climbed Chalford Hill to visit
the Roman Catholic Church of St.
Mary of the Angels, Brownshill, a small,
austere building with a roof of stone
slates and simple bellcote. It was
designed by W. Douglas Caroe,
architect to the Ecclesiastical
Commissioners. Construction occurred
in 1930-37 in a simpliied Romanesque style. It features an aisleless
barrel-vaulted interior and shallow
apse enclosed by a chevron carved
arch. A wooden gallery, ine woodwork and wrought iron ittings have the marks of the Arts and Crafts
Movement which lourished in the Cotswolds in the early 20th century.
Modern style stained glass was added
in the 1940s. The church served
Church of St. Michael, Duntisbourne Rous.
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 2018 22
Templewood, a religious community
founded in 1927 by two nurses who
dedicated themselves to a ministry of
spiritual healing for servicemen
suffering from mental illness in the
aftermath of the First World War.
Between 1951 and 2006 the church
was associated with the Dominican
Order; thereafter it came into the
hands of the charity The Friends of
Friendless Churches.
After lunch at The Ram in Bussage, we
headed south to the ancient ‘cloth’
town of Minchinhampton to visit the
parish Church of Holy Trinity, with a
distinctive truncated spire. Traces of its
Norman structure were destroyed in
1842 when the 14th century nave was
demolished and replaced in the plain
Perpendicular style of the period. Of
the surviving Decorated Gothic
transepts and crossing, the star
feature is the beautiful, large southern
window with rose tracery. In the 1860s
the chancel was altered by William
Butterield who designed double tracery for the east window. A beam,
rood and screens were early 20th
century additions. In 2014-15 the loor was replaced to provide underloor heating and lexible seating. The church endured turbulent events over
the centuries but today it offers a light,
unencumbered and calm place of
worship.
From Minchinhampton Common we
came to All Saints Church, Selsley,
in the hills south of Stroud. This small
limestone building has a lofty tower
with a steep saddleback roof. In 1851,
Samuel Marling, a local cloth mill
owner, donated land for the
construction of a church in the village.
He appointed the architect, George
Frederick Bodley. This commission
coincided with Bodley’s work in the
French inluenced Gothic Revival of his early church building career. A
polygonal apse, bold windows and a
wealth of ine quality and imaginative detail in the stone and
woodwork ittings, illustrate the sophistication of this project with its
Church of St. Mary of the Angels, Brownhill
Church of Holy Trinity, Minchinhampton
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 201823
Christopher Rogers recognised the pride in this church taken by its devoted members some of whom welcomed us and kindly served tea and cake. The Chairman, Martin Knight, thanked Christopher for researching and presenting a highly rewarding tour.
touch of the lily. The church’s glory
is the comprehensive scheme for
stained glass windows commissioned
by Bodley in 1861 from Morris,
Marshall, Faulkner & Co, established
that year by William Morris with the
Pre-Raphaelite artists and designer-
craftsmen in his circle. Bodley, Philip
Webb, the architect co-ordinator of
the scheme, and 4 artists including
Morris, all shared an enthusiasm for
the arts of the early Middle Ages.
The depictions of biblical stories and
symbols in the 17 windows were
stylistically original for the times in their
naturalism and vivid colour.
Baby Prince, detail of Stained Glass at Selsley
Annunciation window in the chancel of Selsley church
All Saints Church, Selsley
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 2018 24
“Church crawling is the richest of
pleasures” (John Betjeman).
A sentiment which I am sure is
endorsed by the 340 cyclists and
walkers (plus one eight-year-old
horse-rider) who turned out on
September 8th in support of
Wiltshire’s churches. The added bonus
with Ride+Stride is that of enjoying
Wiltshire’s green and pleasant
countryside, as well as getting a
friendly welcome at a number of
churches.
As usual there have been some
notable achievements. One of the
smallest parishes in the county,
Tidcombe, raised over £4,000 (only, a
week or two later, to suffer the cruel
misfortune of losing the lead from the
church roof). St James, Bratton
continue to set an example, with
more than 40 participants ensuring
their stranglehold on the Brooke Cup.
The Junior Group Cup was won for the
second year running by the nine
Ride+Stride Saturday 8th September 2018
by Charles Graham
youngsters from St Mary’s, Grittleton,
while twin seven-year-old boys from
Salisbury Cathedral School cycled 20
miles to 15 churches, raising £1,100.
One enterprising couple took R+S
across the Channel, cycling to 40
churches in the Vendée region and
raising nearly £2,000 for their churches
in Bremhill and Seend.
It is often the smaller parishes that
raise the most money: the villages of
Compton Chamberlayne, Garsdon,
Lydiard Tregoze, Mildenhall, Preshute
and Shalbourne all topped the £1000
mark. Salisbury Cathedral did well,
but otherwise it would be good to see
the big town churches getting more
involved. Walters/Perry clan from Bratton
Wallace Twins at St Thomas’s Salisbury
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 201825
Ride+Stride in the Vendée
Enford Team
when it is a pleasurable activity and a
relatively easy way to raise money
for one’s church? Old age need not
be an excuse – walking to one or two
churches counts as participation,
(and mobility scooters are permitted).
This year there were at least a dozen
participants aged over 80, one of
whom cycled to 11 churches.
Now the good news: for the irst time since the inancial crisis of 2008, we have raised over £50,000, which with
the addition of Gift Aid should take us
past £60,000. Many congratulations to
all who contributed.
I hope we can do even better next
year on Saturday 14th September. As
you may know, I have been hoping
for someone to emerge who can take
over from me and give fresh impetus
to the role of Administrator. Could that
be you or someone you know? It is a
rewarding job.
One regular irritation for participants
is that they arrive at a church to ind it locked. This is fortunately not a
widespread problem, but why do only
a quarter of Wiltshire’s churches have
members who take part in Ride+Stride
THE FRIENDS OF WILTSHIRE CHURCHES ANNUAL REPORT 2018 26
Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust Treasurer’s report
For the year ended 31st March 2018
by Peter Smith, Hon. Treasurer
The net assets of the Trust increased
to £388k as at 31st March 2018 (£295k,
2017) with the additional investment in
March of £100k from the grant given
by Hartham Church Charitable Trust.
The gross income of the Trust for the
year was just over £99,000 (£94k,
2017).
The Friends made a proit of £24,400 for the year (£24k, 2017). This
comprised £13,000 from Membership
Fees and Gift Aid; £5800 (after expens-
es) from fund raising activities; £4200
from donations; £672 from ongoing
sales of Brian Woodruffe’s book “The
Parish Churches of Wiltshire”; and
£945 from the sale of Christmas Cards.
The Trust’s other signiicant income was raised by Ride & Stride - £55,000;
Investments - £10,000; and Parish
Donations - £4,400.
The WHCT awarded 37 grants
totalling £74,500 for the year to 31st
March 2018.
Full details of the Audited Accounts
for the year ended 31st March 2018
are available for viewing online at the
Charity Commission website
(www.charitycommission.gov.uk) by
entering the WHCT’s Registered
Charity Number 1075598.
Thank you to all those who supplied images for this report -
Geoffrey Till, Charles Graham, Clare Miles, Paul Gardner, Michael Hodges, John
Price and Tim Connor.
Legacies
Please remember the Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust in your Will.
The Registered Charity number of the WHCT is 1075598.
Detail over the Chancel Arch at St Mary's, Lydiard Tregoze
St James, Bratton